Placenta: The Life Supporting Organ

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“A parasite upon the mother” is how the book “Life’s Vital Link,” by Y. W. Loke, a reproductive immunologist, describes the placenta.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development refers to the placenta as “the least understood human organ and arguably one of the more important, not only for the health of a woman and her fetus during pregnancy but also for the lifelong health of both.”

Realdus Columbus, first used the term “placenta” in his book De Re Anatomica, published in 1559.

If you are pregnant or about to enter the phase of pregnancy apart from getting a lot of conventional advice, you must have heard about the changes the body undergoes during pregnancy. Well, that’s true!

Your body goes through remarkable changes throughout pregnancy to produce the ideal environment for a baby to develop in. There is a formation of a whole new extra-embryonic organ found only during pregnancy- the placenta.

But what exactly is the placenta? Where does it come from? These questions are massively confusing to many people. Have you ever given it a thought whether it is made by the cells of the baby, by the maternal cells, or by both? Let’s figure it out!

What is Placenta?

The baby is not alone inside a person’s womb. Yes, you read it right! Throughout pregnancy, it is continuously surrounded by a companion. This is the placenta.

The placenta is a complex and fascinating LIFE SUPPORTING organ that develops in the uterus during normal pregnancies and serves as a vital connection between the mother and the fetus. It grows from the cells of the embryo and not from the uterine cells of the mother. The disc of tissues is bluish to dark red in appearance, linking to the uterine lining on one side and umbilical cord on the other.

It is an organ that contains a biome of information within itself about the baby and the conceiving individual.

What does the placenta do?

Placenta is the interface between a pregnant individual and the fetus (an unborn offspring that develops from an embryo). It sustains all biological tasks that fetuses are unable to perform on their own during the pregnancy.

The placenta serves the following purposes:

Supplies oxygen and nutrients and eliminates waste– It transports oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the baby and eliminates carbon dioxide and waste products produced by the fetus, such as urea, uric acid, and bilirubin, is absorbed into the mother’s blood via the placenta serving as the baby’s lungs, kidneys, and digestive tract simultaneously throughout pregnancy.

It not only nourishes the baby but provides a variety of products to enable the maternal body to sustain pregnancy and afterbirth events, such as the production of milk.

It produces pregnancy hormones, each of which plays an important role in supporting your pregnancy such as – Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone detected by pregnancy test kits.
Provides immunity as the antibodies can pass through the placenta to the fetus.
Regulates the baby’s body temperature.
Another hormone produced by the placenta is progesterone, which supports the implantation of the fetus. During pregnancy, estrogen encourages the growth of breasts and milk ducts.
And Human placental lactogen (hPL) stimulates the growth and development of the fetus. To read hormone action during pregnancy in detail, click here.

You may also check out this video about the placenta: The incredible organ during pregnancy.

When does the placenta form?

The chorion (an embryonic organ that develops before the placenta) forms as soon as the fertilized egg implants in the uterus. As per normal biological conditions, nearly it requires 18–20 weeks of pregnancy for the placenta to be fully developed in most of the pregnancies. And nearing 14 weeks of pregnancy, the mother’s blood supply is completely attached to the growing placenta.

What happens to the Placenta after childbirth?

IT IS OFTEN CALLED THE AFTERBIRTH. If you have a vaginal delivery, the placenta is expelled out vaginally after the baby comes out. In the case of a cesarean section, it is removed at the same time when the baby is taken out. To avoid infection, all leftover fragments are removed from the uterus by the health care provider.

The spiritual belief

Placenta is considered auspicious and is buried deep within the soil in some cultures to symbolize the baby’s link to the earth. It is believed to bring good fortune to a newborn baby. To celebrate the birth, some parents place it in the yard. Ceremonial handling of the placenta by many cultures around the world is a symbol of life, spirit, and good fortune for the newborn.

To read more on women’s health, click here.

This text is provided for information purposes only and is not aimed as an alternative for professional medical advice. Always take the advice of a health specialist if you have questions regarding your health or a medical condition.

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Disclaimer: This news story is not just a new coverage but a slap on our society’s face and a reminder to us that we NEED to stand up together and fight the evil!!

While the Indian government is still in the dilemma of whether sex education should be a part of the Indian Education System or not, another appalling incident of Nagaur district of Rajasthan came into light, where a 14-year-old minor girl has reportedly given birth to a child on the night of December 13, 2020. In the wake of this incident, four people have been booked for the charges of rape, which includes the minor’s brother.

“The girl is 14 and unmarried. The matter came to light when the girl and her family reached the Zanana Hospital in Ajmer on Sunday, where the doctors, after safely delivering her baby, informed us that the mother is a minor,” said Narotam Singh, station house officer, Padukalan police station.

“The minor, along with her child, is under police and medical supervision. Based on the statements of her family, her brother and three other villagers have been booked under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act,” SHO Singh added. “Her family members confessed that her brother and three others from the same village have raped her several times.”

As per the reports, further details are yet to be received after the DNA tests of the accused and the newborn child.

No woman is safe in India, I say, but Rajasthan reportedly had the highest number of rapes with 5,997 cases in 2020, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh with 3,065 cases and 2,485 cases respectively. According to sources, Rajasthan also had the highest rate of rape cases at 15.9 (per lakh population) followed by Kerala and Haryana at 11.1 and 10.9, respectively.

A 14YO minor girl in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district has reportedly given birth to a child after which four people, including her brother, have been booked for rape. — Source

While I’m writing this, a part of me has already given up! And as I said earlier, I know it will not stop ever!

My question is: would this have been better if they were taught about sex and sexuality right from the beginning? Would this have been better if they knew the core meaning of words like ‘consent’ and ‘no’? Would this have been better if they were taught the value of equality and respect towards every gender?

“The reality is that many children are not comfortable having such a discussion with parents. Parents should at least facilitate such conversations if they (the children) are hesitant about it,” says Ram, a member of Racsha.

Filmmaker Aniruddha Roychowdhury believes that children should be taught to speak about abuse more openly. “If there is any violation, there has to be a protest. Be it an uncle or anyone else known to the family; they (perpetrators of abuse) should be punished and shamed so that they are not able to step out. They should be exposed on social media and newspapers and the parents, elder brother or sister have to listen to the child,” he adds.

It’s hardly been six months since the Bois Locker Room, the infamous Instagram ‘scandal’, happened — and here we are, discussing and writing about several other cases of rape and sexual abuse happened after that.

And the sad part is that almost 99% of these cases go unreported — sad and dark, isn’t it?

Where and what is the problem they ask. Is it the mentality or rage or a compulsive mechanism to overpower a woman’s will or just an amusement? The reason is never annotated, never justified.

And while we figure out a solid solution to this, can we just urge the government to rethink about sex education and request every parent to talk about it?

Sex education helps in learning about the mental, physical, emotional and social aspects of sexuality by making children and teenagers aware about their physical well being, health, hygiene, dignity and also enhances their skills, knowledge, attitudes and social values which further helps them in developing respectful social and sexual relationships.

And maybe this will result in a lesser number of incidents, more number of people talking about it in a healthy way and more parents supporting their children for the justice and life they deserve?

Unlike the family of this minor in Rajasthan, people would not wait until the delivery and speak about the evil and fight against it — and maybe then no brother would think of raping his sister, no father would sell his daughter for a meagre amount of four lakh, and no husband would throw acid on his wife’s face in the name of purity!

Can we still hope for that dawn?

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